The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1887-10-05
RUINED BY BEER.
Tho Malt Liquor Responsible for Large
Share of Female Inebriety.


Share of Female Inebriety.
"Beer does it,
"Does what?', asked the reporter
1T starts them," replied the police
sergeant. "Do you see that womanP"
1t would have been impossible not
to see her. and having seen her once
it would be even more difficult to for
get her. She was not old, yet she was
bent and crooked rs scrub oak. Her
dress was of the poorest quality, be-
draggled, soiled and ragged. Her face
was scanned with lines or dissipation,
and her brown hair hung down her
back in a matted and tangled coil. She
leaned heavily against the sergcant's
desk, and looked defiantly around her.
MARY" said the sergeant, "what is
it this timep"
"Nothin'." responded the woman.
"What is it. oflicer?'
Drunk and disorderly," replied the
officer. "She was singing There
is better land to the tune of we
won't go home till morning on Tenth
avenue about an hour ago. and when i
went to take her in she laid down in
the gutter and l had to get truck to
haul her to the station house," and the
officer wiped his face as though the re-
collection even made him warm.
"Take her downstairs, remarked
the sergeant. mo need of question
ing her. I know her pedigree. Ten
years ago." continued the sergeant,
addressing the reporter, MARY was
as pretty a girl as lived in this ward. l
once thought of marrying her myself,
but friend of mine was ahead of me
and the wedding was the event of the
season."
"What is the cause of her down.
fallp"
Beer started her. John, her hus-
band-he was divorced from her five
years ACCUSED to bring home beer in
the evening, and she got to like it too
well. Now she drinks stale beer in tin
cans when she can't get whisky or
rum. l tell you, beer starts most of
them. Out of fifty women arrested
here last summer learned that thirty
of them got their first taste for liquor
from beer"
The reporter questioned promi.
ment physician OF this city, who was
for several years connected with the
staff of the Fort Hamilton Home fol
Inebriates, regarding the way women
begin to drink.
II have studied rather carefully into
this subject" replied the doctor, "and
have few figures which may be in
teresting. Out of 200 inebriated WON
en-, some of whom belong to our so
called first society," l found that 12t
began their drinking by the use O
beer. 81 by drinking whisky Gas punch
at first usually, 20 began with wine,
with gin, and II could not remember
what beverage was first used. Of thu
beverages first used, while in 'but s.
cases it began with whisky, in Is
1t had become the favorite bev
erage. Several hopeless drunk
ards, have gone toward insanity
had never drank any other intoxi
cant than beer. One hundred AM
twenty-five were committed to prisol
for drunkenness. IS for offense
against chastity and public order an
Is for crimes against property. Thei
ages when last committed averages
SOa years. Sixty-five were betwee
so and Al years of age. 40 between 2
and 81 years of age. "a between 20 an
26 years of age, 80 between 10 and 2
years of age. The remainder wer
over Al years of age"
'.How did this drinking affect the
childrenp"
81 have some statistics on this sui
iect, too. Of Ill inebriate mother
IS of whom had inebriate husband
40S children were born. OF these q
persisted in infancy and early chill,
hood, and of the survivors many al
doomed evidently to an early dealt
} In many cases the death of these chi
dren was indirectly due to the inebri
ty of the parents. as cold, deprivation
etc. Ages: Twenty-seven of the 2
women began to drink intoxicants b
fore they were ten years of age; II b